System and method for dispensing a measured amount  of a loose material

ABSTRACT

A loose material measuring and dispensing system including a container and dispenser. The tea container serves to store the tea leaves or grounds in a storage bin prior to activation of the system. Upon activation, the dispenser measures and loads a selected amount of tea into a hopper for dispensing, such as into a waiting cup or a tea infuser. The amount of tea may be selected based upon user operation of one of a number of quantity indicating/selection buttons provided in a user interface. The container is a sealed canister, such as a bag or jug, which is preferably impermeable to light. Furthermore, the dispenser is able to operate to load a desired amount of tea (e.g. by weight), specified by the user, into the hopper. Once the desired amount of tea is loaded into the hopper, the tea may be dispensed, such as into a waiting cup or infuser below.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.14/053,721, filed Oct. 15, 2013, a continuation of International PatentApplication No. PCT/US2012/033489, filed Apr. 13, 2012 which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/475,723 filed Apr. 15,2011, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

Aspects of the present disclosure relate to a container and dispenserfor storing and dispensing loose materials, such as coffee, tea, powder,or other like materials.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beverages are a growing part of the restaurant industry, with manysuccessful restaurants and/or chains selling principally beverages, suchas coffee, milkshakes, smoothies, or the like. Many manufacturersprovide equipment for increasing the quality and consistency of thesebeverages as well as to assist in shortening the point-of-saleproduction time required for these beverages. Despite its popularity,tea is lagging behind in its ability to be produced and sold quickly andefficiently. With the exception of water, tea is the most consumedbeverage in the world. The traditional method of making a cup of tea isto place loose tea leaves, either directly or in a tea infuser, into atea pot or teacup and pour hot water over the leaves. After a fewminutes the leaves are usually removed again, either by removing theinfuser, or by straining the tea while serving. Still today, thisprocess commonly occurs by the collection and measurement of theappropriate amount of loose-leaf tea by hand. However, due to the timerequired, tea is often served only in more relaxed environments as itsproduction is not conducive to rapid production.

In an attempt to expedite and/or bring convenience to the process, thetea bag was developed, which contains a pre-determined amount of tea andis used to create a common sized beverage, such as 8 ounces. However,given their method of manufacture, tea bags are a lesser preferredoption to fresh tea, as the tea spends quite some time in storage andtransit prior to being delivered for use. Furthermore, tea bags do notlend themselves easily to the production of teas of varying quantities,such as 8 ounces, 12 ounces, or a full tea pot. Subsequently, “pods” or“cups” were developed which are used in automated machines; however,these pods suffer from the same problems as using tea bags. Accordingly,the present invention solves a number of these problems as well as otherproblems present in the dispensing industry, as are illustrated in thedescriptions that follow.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention involves various aspects of a container and/ordispenser for use in dispensing loose materials, such as dry products.Suitable dry products for use with the novel dispenser disclosed hereininclude tea, spices, coffee, dried foods, other powders and the like.For purposes of illustration, the container and dispenser describedherein shall be described with respect to the dispensing of loose leaftea. However, it shall be appreciated that the system could be easilyapplied to other loose materials, such as, but not limited to, thoselisted above. In one further form, the dispenser may include a coin/billacceptor and/or credit card terminal or like device for use as a vendingmachine.

An illustrative embodiment of the present invention is a loose leaf teasystem including a container and dispenser. The tea container serves tostore the tea leaves or grounds in a storage bin prior to activation ofthe system. Upon activation, the dispenser measures and loads a selectedamount of tea into a hopper for dispensing, such as into a waiting cup,tea pot, or a tea infuser. The amount of tea may be selected based uponuser operation of one of a number of quantity indicating/selectionbuttons provided in a user interface or may be otherwise input by theuser, such as by rotating a dial or pushing a button or lever. Thecontainer is preferably a sealed canister, such as a bag or jug, whichmay be stored within the dispenser so as to not expose the materialcontained to light, air and/or moisture. In another form, no externalcanister is used, rather the container is a sealed refillable housingformed within the device, so as to prevent additional waste and increaseefficiency. Below the opening in the container or housing, a mechanismis provided for loading the tea into a measuring hopper below. Themechanism preferably seals when not in use so as to prevent the tea inthe container from coming into contact with the outside atmosphere priorto entering the hopper below. Furthermore, the dispenser is able tooperate the mechanism such that it loads a desired amount of tea (e.g.by weight), specified by the user, into the hopper. Once the desiredamount of tea is loaded into the hopper, the tea may be dispensed into adesired location, such as into a waiting cup, tea pot, or infuser below.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a tea dispenser according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a tea dispenser absent its base andexternal housing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an exploded view of a portion of a tea dispenser according toone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the user interface of a tea dispenseraccording to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an alternate user interface of a teadispenser according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a tea dispenser absent its base and externalhousing according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a process which controls theoperation of the tea dispenser of any of FIGS. 1-6 in accordance withone form of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a side view of a tea dispenser absent its base and externalhousing according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a tea dispenser absent its base and externalhousing according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles of thedisclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated inthe drawings and specific language will be used to describe the same. Itwill nevertheless be understood that no limitation of the scope of theclaims is thereby intended, such alterations and further modificationsin the illustrated device, and such further applications of theprinciples of the disclosure as illustrated therein, being contemplatedas would normally occur to one skilled in the art to which thedisclosure relates.

Certain embodiments of a container and/or dispenser for use indispensing loose materials, such as dry products will be describedherein. Suitable dry products for use with the novel dispenser disclosedherein include tea, spices, coffee, dried foods, laundry detergent,other powders and the like. For purposes of illustration, the containerand dispenser described herein shall be described with respect to thedispensing of loose leaf tea. However, it shall be appreciated that thecontainer and dispenser could be easily applied to other loosematerials, such as, but not limited to, those listed above. In onefurther form, the dispenser may include a coin/bill acceptor and/orcredit card terminal or like device for use as a vending machine.

Certain embodiments of a tea dispenser and a refillable tea containerare illustrated in FIG. 1. Tea dispenser 20 is illustrated in a standalone form having an upper portion 22 for storing tea, a middle portion24 for dispensing and measuring tea, and a bottom portion 26 providing alocation for the user to place a receptacle, such as a cup, kettle, teapot, infuser, or the like for receiving the dispensed tea. In addition,in the illustrated form tea dispenser 20 includes an electroniccontroller 80 which includes a user interface and controls the operationof the remaining portions of tea dispenser 20. It shall be appreciatedthat tea dispenser 20 may take various other forms and configurationsdepending upon user needs and requirements.

Turning to FIG. 2, with continued reference to FIG. 1, an example teadispenser 20 is shown absent its middle portion 24 and bottom portion 26and its external housing for purposes of illustrating the internalcomponents of upper portion 22. In the form illustrated, tea dispenser20 includes an interchangeable tea container 30 for attachment to areceiving portion 40. In addition, tea dispenser 20 includes measuringportion 50. In alternate forms of tea dispenser 20, receiving portion 40may include an lid, which preferably establishes an airtight seal, sothat receiving portion 40 may serve the purposes of container 30 withoutthe need for a separate container 30.

Turing to FIG. 3, an exploded view is shown of a selected portion of teadispenser 20 including receiving portion 40 and measuring portion 50according to another form. In the embodiment illustrated, tea storagebin 31 is a hollow recess suitable for the storage of tea for subsequentdispensing formed by receiving portion 40. In the illustratedembodiment, storage bin 31 also comprises a standard lid 33 whichpreferably forms an air tight hermetic seal with respect to storage bin31 to prevent the contents of storage bin 31 from coming into contactwith the outside environment, thereby maintaining its freshness prior todispensing. Measuring portion 50 mounts to the base of receiving portion40 and serves to controllably release the contents of container 30,using the force of gravity. The dispensing is controlled by dispenserchute 52, which includes helical coil or screw 56, motor 57, and seal155, all of which are described further herein with respect to FIGS. 6,8 and 9.

FIGS. 4 and 5 show exemplary plan views of two user interfaces suitablefor use on tea dispenser 20. It shall be appreciated that many userinterface designs may be utilized without departing from the scope ofthe present disclosure. FIG. 4. illustrates a touch screen userinterface 81 in which a number of user selectable options are providedfor various sized beverages. For example, user interface 81 may includelogical buttons 82, 83, and 84 which correspond to an 8 oz., 16 oz, and20 oz. beverage respectively. Additionally, one or more of these buttonsmay be programmed to provide a customized size, such as 12, 18, or 20ozs. In a further form, the size associated with these buttons may becustomized by the user so as to correspond to the sizes of tea which theuser prefers or which are available on the menu, such as in the case ofa restaurant or tea shop. Additionally, when the user interface isprovided in a touch screen, the buttons may be changed so as to show tocurrently programmed size, such as in ounces (or the metric equivalent),or the like. Furthermore, if desired, one or more buttons may becustomized to provide for a larger volume, such as that of a tea pot.

Upon selection of button 82, internal controller 80 (shown in FIG. 1) isconfigured to operate tea dispenser 20 to dispense a measured amount oftea suitable for providing an 8 oz. tea beverage. Given that the amountof tea required to make a certain volume of tea is fairly standard forall types of tea (such as 2.5 g of loose leaf tea per 6 oz. of water),the user interface may remain relatively simply, if desired.Alternatively, in the case of teas which include other ingredients, suchas chai tea, the weights corresponding to the various buttons may beincreased accordingly depending upon the type of tea the device iscurrently configured for. For example, in one form user interface 81 mayaccept input regarding one of a number of predefined types of teas and adesired volume of tea. Based upon the currently selected tea, the amountof tea dispensed (such as by weight) for the selected volume may bedifferent than it would have been had a different tea type beenselected.

Turning to FIG. 5, an alternate, more user adjustable user interface 85is illustrated in which a number of user selectable options are providedfor various sized beverages in addition to a strength adjustment. Asdescribed above with respect to user interface 81, user interface 85 mayinclude display 86 and buttons 87, 88, and 89 which correspond to an 8oz., 16 oz, and 20 oz. beverage or other like amounts. Upon selection ofbutton 87, internal controller 80 (shown in FIG. 1) is configured tooperate tea dispenser 20 to dispense a measured amount of tea suitablefor providing an 8 oz. tea beverage. User interface 85 also provides asecondary adjustment which allows the user to specify how strong theyprefer their tea on a scale 90 from weak to strong depending on theoperator's or customer's steeping preferences. When the user selectsbutton 91 the amount of tea (by weight) dispensed is lowered to providefor a weaker tea. However, when the button 92 is selected, the amount(by weight) of tea to be dispensed in raised, providing for a strongertea. As adjustments are made by the user, the current selection,including both beverage size and strength are indicated to the user bydisplay 86.

Turning now to FIG. 6, with continued reference to FIGS. 1-5, anillustration of tea dispenser 20 having one form of measuring anddispensing mechanisms is shown from a side plan view. The bottom portion26 and external housing of measurement portion 60 have been omitted forpurposes of illustrating the internal components of tea dispenser 20. Inthe illustrated form, tea dispenser 20 includes container 30 forattachment to a receiving portion 40. In addition, tea dispenser 20includes measuring portion 50 and measurement portion 60. Measurementportion 60 is shown absent its exterior housing so that the details ofthe inner components may be described. Measurement portion 60 includes ahopper 62 for receiving tea dispensed from dispenser chute 52 ofdispensing carousel 50 under the control of controller 80.

Dispenser chute 52, according to this form, is a cylindrical chuteconnected to receiving portion 40 (and this container 30) at itsproximal end 53. Dispenser chute 52 terminates at dispenser opening 54at its other end. Dispenser opening 54 may also include a seal 55 whichis opened only during operation in order to maintain the airtight sealof container 30, thereby protecting its contents. As shown, seal 55 maybe a door which closes to establish a seal below dispenser opening 54.Between proximal end 53 and dispenser opening 54, a rotably mountedhelical coil 56 is disposed within dispenser chute 52 along a portion ofits length. Coil 56 may be formed of one or more pieces of wire or othersuitable material or alternatively may be formed as a helical screw madeof metal, plastic, or the like so as to have more fully defined vanes,which may be more beneficial when dispensing a finer powered material asopposed to a larger loose material. In a preferred form, the diameter ofdispenser chute 52 is between approximately ½″ and 2″ and the diameterof screw 56 is between ⅜″ and ½″ with a pitch of between ¼″ and ⅜″. In afurther preferred form, the diameter of dispenser chute 52 isapproximately 1″, and the diameter of wire which forms screw 56 isbetween 1/32″ and 1/16″.

When tea or some other material is present within container 30, it isfed into dispenser chute 52 at its proximal end 53 from receivingportion 40 by rotable member 54. When screw 56 is activated, byelectronic controller 80, it begins turning in a direction which forcesthe material present at its end 53 toward its opposite end 54. Once thematerial reaches end 54 it is forced out of dispenser chute 52 and intohopper 62. Hopper 62 is mounted to one end of arm 63 which is thenpivotally mounted to an internal frame of the housing of tea dispenser20 at its opposite end. Arm 63 also includes an integrated strain gauge64 which is suitable for electronically measuring the mass of thematerial dispensed by dispenser chute 52 into hopper 62 on a near-realtime basis and reporting its measurements to electronic controller 80.As such, when electronic controller 80 determines that a pre-determinedamount of material has been dispensed into hopper 62, the operation ofscrew 56 is de-activated. In a further form, screw 56 is operated byelectronic controller 80 at a variable speed, such that when the amountof material still needed to be dispensed remains high, screw 56 operatesat a higher speed, but when the amount of material in receptacle 62approaches the desired amount, the speed of screw 56 may be gradually ordiscretely reduced so as to provide as close as possible to be desiredamount of the dispensed material into receptacle 62, as will bedescribed further below with respect to FIG. 7. Once the desired amountof tea has been dispensed into hopper 62, arm 63 is released and thecontents of the hopper 62 and dumped into funnel 66, which guides thecontents of hopper 62 out of the middle portion 24 and down into thedesignated area when a waiting container is positioned in the bottomportion 26.

FIG. 7 illustrates a flowchart which, along with continued reference toFIGS. 1-6, shows a beverage selection and dispensing process inaccordance with one form of the present invention, which will be used toillustrate the manner in which tea dispenser of FIG. 1 may operate.Process 1500 begins with step 1510 in which the user activates the teadispenser 22 by providing input sufficient to enable the dispenser toidentify the amount of tea to be dispensed. For illustrative purposes,as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, this may include an indication input into auser interface, such as user interface 81 or 85, that the user desiresan 8 oz. tea, or that the user desires a 16 oz. tea made either slightlystronger or weaker than normal. The process proceeds to step 1520 inwhich the electronic controller 80 of tea dispenser 20 receives the userinput and determines the proper amount of tea (in weight) to bedispensed. The electronic controller 80 then begins to dispense the teaby calibrating the value perceived by strain gauge 64 to zero in orderto accurately measure the amount of tea added to the hopper 62 in step1530. The electronic controller 80 then enables the motor(s) whichdrives rotary member 54 and screw 56 in step 1540. Shortly thereafter,tea from container 30 begins to accumulate in hopper 62. As this occurs,strain gauge 64 begins periodically reporting a value indicating theweight of the tea dispensed into hopper 62 to electronic controller 80in step 1550. Once the electronic controller determines that the weightof tea dispensed into receptacle 62 is approaching a predeterminedpercentage of the amount to be dispensed (step 1560), electroniccontroller lowers the speed of the motor which drives screw 56, therebydecreasing the rate of dispensing (step 1570). Once the electroniccontroller 80 determines that the desired weight of tea has beendispensed into hopper 62 (step 1580), the electronic controller 80deactivates the motor(s) which drives rotary member 54 and screw 56 instep 1590, and releases the mechanism which holds arm 63, therebydumping the contents of hopper 62 down and into funnel 66 and ultimatelyinto the user's waiting container (step 1600). In a further form, asensor is required to sense a receptacle, such as a cup or the like, inthe dispensing area prior to the tea dispenser 22 being operable todispenser the tea in step 1600. The process ends at step 1610.

It shall be appreciated by one of skill in the art that many of thesteps may occur simultaneously or in various order, with varying timeintervals between steps also being possible. In a further form, theelectronic controller 80 may perform more than one speed adjustment inorder to quickly dispense tea up to a certain percentage of the desiredamount and then go through several speed reductions in order toaccurately and quickly arrive at the desired weight.

Turning now to FIG. 8, with continued reference to FIGS. 1-5, anillustration of tea dispenser 20 having another form of measuring anddispensing mechanisms is shown from a side plan view. Common elements oftea dispenser 20 shall be referred to herein using the same numerals.The bottom portion 26 and external housing of measurement portion 60have similarly been omitted for purposes of illustrating the internalcomponents of tea dispenser 20. In this form, dispenser chute 152, is acylindrical elbow shaped chute connected to receiving portion 40 (andthis container 30) at its proximal end 153. Dispenser chute 152terminates at dispenser opening 154 at its other end. Dispenser opening154 may also include a seal 155 which is opened only during operation inorder to maintain the airtight seal of container 30, thereby protectingits contents. As shown, seal 155 is a cap which covers and surroundsdispenser opening 154 to establish a seal. Between proximal end 153 anddispenser opening 154, a rotably mounted helical coil 156 is disposedwithin dispenser chute 152 along a portion of its length. Coil 156 maybe formed of one or more pieces of wire or other suitable material oralternatively may be formed as a helical screw made of metal, plastic,or the like so as to have more fully defined vanes, which may be morebeneficial when dispensing a finer powered material as opposed to alarger loose material. In a preferred form, the diameter of dispenserchute 152 is between approximately ½″ and 2″ and the diameter of screw56 is between ⅜″ and ½″ with a pitch of between ¼″ and ⅜″. In a furtherpreferred form, the diameter of dispenser chute 52 is approximately 1″,and the diameter of wire which forms screw 56 is between 1/32″ and1/16″.

Turning now to FIG. 9, with continued reference to FIGS. 1-5, anillustration of tea dispenser 20 having yet another form of measuringand dispensing mechanisms is shown from a side plan view. Commonelements of tea dispenser 20 shall again be referred to herein using thesame numerals. The bottom portion 26 and external housing of measurementportion 60 have similarly been omitted for purposes of illustrating theinternal components of tea dispenser 20. In this form, dispenser chute252 is formed by an electrically controlled conveyor 253 which collectsmaterial from the bottom opening of container 30 located directly aboveit and delivers it to a sloped surface 254 which leads the material, viathe force of gravity, through trap door 255 and into receptacle 62. Trapdoor 255 preferably forms an air-tight seal which is opened only duringoperation in order to maintain the airtight seal of container 30,thereby protecting its contents. As shown, seal 55 is a door whichcloses to establish a seal below dispenser opening 54.

While the invention has been illustrated and described in detail in thedrawings and foregoing description, the same is to be considered asillustrative and not restrictive in character, it being understood thatonly the preferred embodiment has been shown and described and that allequivalents, changes, and modifications that come within the spirit ofthe inventions as described herein and/or by the following claims aredesired to be protected.

Hence, the proper scope of the present invention should be determinedonly by the broadest interpretation of the claims so as to encompass allsuch modifications as well as all relationships equivalent to thoseillustrated in the drawings and described in the specification.

What is claimed is:
 1. A bulk material dispenser operable to dispense aselected amount of loose material comprising: an exterior housingdefining a receptacle location suitable for the placement of areceptacle into which the loose material is to be dispensed, whereinsaid exterior housing includes an outlet opening positioned above saidreceptacle location: a sealed housing for storing said loose material; auser interface mounted to said exterior housing; an electroniccontroller for receiving a user selection identifying a desired amountof loose material to be dispensed via said user interface; and ameasuring mechanism positioned below said sealed housing and above saidoutlet opening, comprising: a bin mounted to a scale so as to providethe weight of the material currently contained therein to saidelectronic controller, and upon activation by said electroniccontroller, release the material contained therein through said outletopening; a material chute, having an inlet in sealed fluid communicationwith the interior of said sealed housing and an outlet positioned so asto dispense material into said bin; a rotable screw powered by a motorconnected to said electronic controller, wherein said rotable screw islocated within said material chute so as to provide controllabledispensing of the material into said bin; and a sealing cap adapted tomechanically seal the outlet of said material chute when said rotablescrew is not in operation.
 2. The bulk material dispenser of claim 1,wherein said sealed housing is hermetically sealed.
 3. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 1, wherein said material chute has an elbow shape. 4.The bulk material dispenser of claim 2, wherein said electroniccontroller and said measuring mechanism are located within said exteriorhousing.
 5. The bulk material dispenser of claim 4, wherein said sealedhousing includes an agitator which operates during at least a portion ofthe operation of said material chute.
 6. The bulk material dispenser ofclaim 1, wherein said loose material is tea leaves.
 7. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 6, wherein said user interface allows for adjustmentsto specify the volume of tea to be prepared.
 8. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 7, wherein said user interface allows for userselection of the type of tea being dispensed and stores two differentweights for a selected quantity of tea to be prepared in associationwith each of two selected tea types.
 9. A method of dispensing a userselected amount of loose tea using a dispenser comprising: receiving afirst user input via a user interface located on said dispenser, whereinsaid user input identifies a desired amount of tea; receiving a seconduser input via said user interface, wherein said second input adjustssaid desired amount of tea upward or downward by a predetermined amount;receiving a weight from scale having a bin mounted thereto; transferringtea from a sealed container into said bin until said weight receivedfrom said scale meets or exceeds said desired amount; and dispensingsaid tea from said bin through an outlet opening in said dispenser. 10.The method of claim 9, wherein said second user input provides for astronger or weaker tea.
 11. The method of claim 9, wherein said seconduser input adjusts the volume of tea desired up or down.
 12. The methodof claim 9, further comprising the step of: resealing said sealedcontained after said transferring.
 13. A bulk material dispenseroperable to dispense a selected amount of loose material comprising: anexterior housing defining a receptacle location suitable for theplacement of a receptacle into which the loose material is to bedispensed, wherein said exterior housing includes an outlet openingpositioned above said receptacle location: a housing for storing saidloose material; a user interface mounted to said exterior housing; anelectronic controller for receiving a user selection identifying adesired amount of loose material to be dispensed via said userinterface; and a measuring mechanism positioned below said sealedhousing and above said outlet opening, comprising: a bin mounted to ascale so as to provide the weight of the material currently containedtherein to said electronic controller, and upon activation by saidelectronic controller, release the material contained therein throughsaid outlet opening; a controlled outlet in fluid communication withsaid housing, wherein said controlled outlet is adapted to dispenseloose material from said housing when activated by said electroniccontroller; a conveyor powered by a motor connected to said electroniccontroller, wherein said conveyor is mounted below said controlledoutlet and configured to receive loose material from said controlledoutlet and dispense the material into said bin.
 14. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 13, wherein said sealed housing includes an agitatorwhich operates during at least a portion of the operation of saidmaterial chute.
 15. The bulk material dispenser of claim 13, whereinsaid loose material is tea leaves.
 16. The bulk material dispenser ofclaim 15, wherein said user interface allows for adjustments to specifythe number of ounces of tea to be prepared.
 17. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 15, wherein said user interface is adapted to receiveuser input specifying the type of tea contained within said housing. 18.The bulk material dispenser of claim 17 wherein said user interfaceallows for user selection of the type of tea being dispensed and storestwo different weights for a selected quantity of tea to be prepared inassociation with each of two selected tea types.
 19. The bulk materialdispenser of claim 13, wherein said controlled outlet forms a hermeticseal of said container when not activated by said electronic controller.20. A bulk material dispenser operable to dispense a predeterminedamount of loose material upon activation by a user comprising: anexterior housing defining a receptacle location suitable for theplacement of a receptacle into which the loose material is to bedispensed, wherein said exterior housing includes an outlet openingpositioned above said receptacle location: a housing for storing saidloose material; a user interface mounted to said exterior housingcapable of receiving use input regarding a first predetermined amount ofloose material and storing it in association with a first userselectable button; a measuring mechanism positioned below said sealedhousing and above said outlet opening, comprising: a bin mounted to ascale so as to provide the weight of the material currently containedtherein to said electronic controller, and upon activation by saidelectronic controller, release the material contained therein throughsaid outlet opening; and a controlled outlet in fluid communication withsaid housing, wherein said controlled outlet is adapted to dispenseloose material from said housing when activated by said electroniccontroller; and an electronic controller for receiving a user selectionof said first button via said user interface and in response activatingsaid measuring mechanism to dispense said first predetermined amount ofloose material.